Metro chiefs blamed an unprecedented number of passengers and some break-downs for the problems but said they are undertaking a “full review” of what happened on the day.

Emmie tweeted this picture of West Jesmond saying " Expect delays of up to 20mins if you're traveling to town/the finish line" (Photo: Emmie / Twitter)

Traveller Phil Randall said he had been travelling to South Shields to see his daughter cross the finish line.

He said: “What was supposed to be a enjoyable day out to support our daughter, who was running for a children’s cancer charity turned out to be the day from hell.

“We waited for over an hour at Gateshead platform to get to South Shields. Four trains stopped but nobody could get on as they were over-full.

“Eventually my wife headed back to Newcastle on the other line to see if should could get on a train before it was full up. I stayed at Gateshead and eventually forced my way onto at train.

“My wife eventually got on a train and moved a couple of stops before it was cancelled and everyone was told to get off.

“My journey was one of the worst in my life. I was stuck on an overcrowded train that was like a sauna with nobody being able to move an inch.

“It took three-and-a-half hours to do a 12 mile journey which meant we didn’t see our daughter until an hour after she finished.

“People ran there 90 minutes quicker than the train journey.”

Julie Thompson, 28, from South Gosforth, was on her way to see husband Marc, also 28, cross the finish line.

John Barker tweeted this picture, writing: " One train in 45mins at South Shields, queuing since before 08:00hrs. Shocking service"

She said: “It ended up being a two-and-a-half-hour journey. It was a nightmare.

“Just before we got to Chichester station, the Metro broke down due to a power failure. We were stuck on this packed, hot train for ages.

“Some passengers just couldn’t stand it, so they got off and started walking along the tracks.”

And David Hair, from South Tyneside, said he was left waiting at East Boldon Metro station as he tried to get to the start line.

He said: “A total of four trains between 8am and 10am was thoughtless and resulted in people fighting to get on board.

“If Metro are unable to get people to the start of the GNR, they should say so in advance. We could have walked quicker.

“Indeed, my companion ran the 13 miles 30 minutes quicker than the time we spent on the Metro platform.”

Although Great North Run day has always posed a transport challenge, pressure on the system is increasing as the race expands.

Ten years ago there were around 38,000 people taking part in the run. Sunday’s race saw 57,000 people participating.

Today, Nexus told the Chronicle that it had carried more than 100,000 passengers to and from Sunday’s run and that the increasing size of the race was a challenge they would try to meet in the years ahead.

John Barker tweeted that he had been lucky as well but he "felt sorry for the thousands behind queuing around the block"

A spokesman said: “Early indications are that passenger numbers were higher than in previous years.

“Metro managed to get everyone to the start of the race and home afterwards but unfortunately we did encounter some delays and there were complaints from some passengers.

“Nexus and our train operator, DB Regio, will be analysing closely the planning and delivery of the event to see if we can improve our service.

“The Great North Run keeps on growing in size and is a huge challenge for Metro and we will work with organisers and the police to make sure we continue to support it in the years ahead.

“It is clear that while many extra trains were provided there were some greater gaps between trains than normal in the morning.

“We’re sorry if this caused delay and anxiety for some people heading to the start, and we know Metro staff did their best to manage the situation and look after passengers.

“There is no suggestion it caused any significant issues around the start of the race.

“There were a number of incidents later in the day, as you might expect given the high number of trains and passengers.

“The most serious was a stoppage between Tyne Dock and Chichester just after 1pm when a train heading towards South Shields was affected by a power fault.

“While the fault itself was fixed within a few minutes a number of passengers disembarked on to the track and services were halted for about 30 minutes while Metro staff and police ensured the line was clear and safe for trains.”

Sharon Kelly, managing director at DB Regio Tyne and Wear, which operates the Metro on behalf of Nexus, thanked customers for their patience.

She said: “The Great North Run is our busiest day of the year, and Metro came under significant additional pressure due to more runners and spectators using the service, and the football match in Sunderland.

“After every Great North Run, we begin preparations for the following year but on Sunday a number of incidents had a significant impact on the service, and I’m very sorry for those customers who were inconvenienced.

“Unfortunately we experienced some delays early in the day due to last minute driver sickness. We used replacement drivers to deal with this as quickly as possible.

“In addition, a power fault occurred in the South Shields area caused by the volume of trains. The fault was cleared quickly, but some customers left the train and walked on the track.

“Passenger safety is our top priority and we had more than 300 staff on duty during the day, working extremely hard to ensure runners, spectators and football fans got to their destination and back home safely.

“We will be working with Nexus to undertake a full review of the day, including what lessons we can learn and how the service can be improved next year.”